


Happy Birthday.

by NicotinicSugarHigh



Category: Gintama
Genre: Birthday, Boys In Love, Fluff and Angst, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-05-05
Updated: 2019-05-05
Packaged: 2020-02-26 10:20:20
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,640
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18715066
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/NicotinicSugarHigh/pseuds/NicotinicSugarHigh
Summary: Every day is a battle. His birthday is no exception.





	Happy Birthday.

It had been a week since he and the rest of the Shinsengumi returned to Edo from Kyou. Kondou had gathered a military might that gave them a fighting chance against the rest of the universe. It was a tiny one, but it was still better than nothing.

Ever since they came back, every day was one of battle and hardship. They hadn’t had a good night’s rest since _before_ they left for Kyou, but his men were energized despite the lack of sleep, or maybe, it was the lack of sleep making them giddy. He couldn’t really tell.

Fight. Recover. Rest. Repeat. This war was turning into one of attrition; The army that lasted longer would win.

Maybe the wear and tear of it all was starting to show on his face because Kondou pulls him away from an injured soldier he was helping bandage. He was playing cavalry during the day and medic at night.

“Hey,” Kondou starts out with, like he doesn’t know how to breach a subject. “Tomorrow is the 5th, isn’t it?”

Hijikata shrugs. “I think it is, why?”

“Well… it’s May.” Kondou explains, and Hijikata still doesn’t get what he’s trying to say. “May 5th, your birthday.”

“Oh.” Kondou gives him a mystified look at his monosyllabic response. So Hijikata tries to say something more. “Yeah, I suppose it is.”

“Well… me and the boys thought we should do something special tomorrow.” And he adds before Hijikata can reject the idea. “And it’s for you, obviously, so if you don’t want to, then it’s settled, but take a look around… I think everyone needs something to celebrate, don’t you?”

Hijikata takes a look around at his men. Not only are they physically worn, but their sleep-deprived energy was being sucked quickly by the void of despair. And that wasn’t even an exaggeration; The spots in his vision told him he needed a rest… but it wasn’t like their enemy would just stop fighting just because it was his birthday, would they?

He brings up his concerns and Kondou gives him a cheeky grin. “Well, we’ve got that covered. So don’t worry about it.”

Hijikata wants to ask what he means but can tell from the tone of his voice that he wasn’t going to get a straight answer. So instead, he just nods and makes his way back into the infirmary tent. After a few more hours of helping with the injured, Hijikata returns to his sleeping tent, and midnight passes without anything extraordinary happening like any other time of day.

It’s the crack of the dawn when he wakes up, his body not allowing him to rest any longer. He gets ready for his early morning patrol of the area as well as replenishes the supplies that are heavily used. He’s stocking gauze when he sees six of his men walking through the entrance to Kabuki-cho looking like they had been fighting all night. When he tries to talk to them, all they do is grin at him and give him a thumbs up. “Happy birthday!” one of the men shouts. They all start cheering for him.

He asks Kondou what that was about when he sees him, and his Commander seems to think it’s okay to share with him now that his men are back. “We staged a surprise attack on them in the middle of the night, and we’ve set them back for at least two days. They won’t be marching up to us anytime soon.”

The implications of his words settle and Hijikata is enraged. “You had no right to send them on a suicide mission in the middle of the night just for—”

“Toshi, everyone who went volunteered of their own free will. They weren’t forced to do anything.”

“Still! It’s irresponsible to let them go on a mission like that and for what?”

“We knew the risks when we decided to go. And look, we’re all fine.” Kondou says, and Hijikata doesn’t fail to notice that he said ‘we’ instead of ‘they’.

And his look, Kondou answers him. “Yes, I went. And so did Gintoki and his kids.”

Hijikata pauses at this. The last time he had spent any time outside of battle with Gintoki was before he had left for Kyou. It had been a week already, but they still hadn’t met up, but apparently Gintoki thinks it’s okay to fight for him and to potentially die for him, but seeing him is too much to ask? Even if it was just for a minute, Hijikata wanted to catch up with him.

“Where is he now?” Hijikata asks, and the answer is already on the tip of Kondou’s tongue, like he guessed a long time ago that would be his first question.

“They stayed behind to keep watch. Just in case.”

And Hijikata doesn’t say anything, though he doesn’t need to because Kondou can read the disappointment all over his face.

“They’ll be back tomorrow morning.” Kondou reassures him, but it only feels like he’s pouring salt on the metaphorical wound.

Hijikata shakes his head to clear his thoughts. Even though it was his birthday, today wasn’t only about him. His soldiers needed a day to relax but he knew they would never without a reason to do so. They’re as stubborn as he is and would never rest on their own, and Hijikata understands the need to use his birthday as an excuse. They needed to say they were doing it for Hijikata, and Hijikata is fine being their reason for a mandatory day off.

But still he feels wrong that they’ll be slacking off while Gintoki and his kids are working hard. He promises to make it up to them.  

All he says to Kondou is, “Okay.”

“You understand, right Toshi?” Kondou asks him, and Hijikata nods. He does understand. “It would be more irresponsible to not take care of our men when they need it.”

When night falls, they bust out the alcohol and the party starts. There’s music and entertainment. The cabaret girls and the host clubs are here. The drag queens also make their entrance. Regular folk mixed with soldiers and samurai and ninjas. Feels like the whole town is here… except for the Yorozuya.

Everyone hugs him and congratulates him on his birthday like it’s something to celebrate, and he smiles. But after a while, it becomes too much and he finds himself sneaking off to the roof with a bottle of sake.

He nurses it alone, letting the slight breeze chill him. It doesn’t really do much to clear his mind and he finds that instead of helping with his mood, it makes him feel worse. And cold.

Hijikata takes another drink straight from the bottle and the liquid burns down his throat, leaving a slight bitter aftertaste. He watches the stars, laying on the jagged tiles of the roof, and the vastness of the sky makes him feel lonely. Even though they see the same sky and are in the same town, the distance between him and the person he wants to see is still too wide.

He shuts his eyes for a moment, taking a deep inhale and exhale. But it’s no good because the sky is still above him, looming. He places his arm above his eyes to block out any residual light.

“Is this seat taken?”

Hijikata shoots up from his position, and a tile stabs him in the back at an odd angle.

“Woah there cowboy,” Gintoki smiles at him. “Didn’t mean to scare you.”

Hijikata looks at the man in front of him like he’s an apparition. “Gin…toki?” He whispers the name quietly because he’s scared the hallucination will go away if he talks too loud.

“Yeah, I’m here.” Gintoki sits next to him, and scooches even closer. Their shoulders are touching and Hijikata can feel the other’s heat radiating off on him. He feels a little warmer.

He leans his head onto Gintoki’s shoulder and Gintoki leans his head back. There’s nothing but silence as they stare at the stars together, but Hijikata feels comfortable. Gintoki reaches around him to grab at the bottle of sake and Hijikata lets him into his space. When Gintoki settles back down again, his arm is still around Hijikata’s waist, and nothing is amiss.

But Hijikata asks anyway, because he can’t help it, “Do you want to go back down to the party?”

And Gintoki responds, “No, I’m not here for them.”

They drink on the roof for another thirty minutes before Hijikata asks, “I thought you and the kids stayed behind?”

“Yeah, we did.” Gintoki grins at him. “We may have _made sure_ that they wouldn’t come for us for at least four days instead.”

Gintoki’s grin makes him look wildly beautiful and Hijikata can’t help but want to kiss him. And he hesitates but Gintoki reads his mind like always and makes the choice for him. They’re always on the same page, on the same wavelength, so Hijikata has no doubt that their kiss is more than just a meeting of lips. For him and Gintoki it means much more. When he feels Gintoki smile against him, he knows he’s thinking the same thing.

They move apart momentarily to catch their breath, and Hijikata struggles to open his eyes. He does though, eventually, and Gintoki is looking at him with that look and he feels it deep in his chest. They were never men of many words anyway.

Hijikata kisses him this time without an ounce of hesitation. And Gintoki responds even more eagerly, pouring all of his passion into Hijikata’s.

“Happy birthday.”

Gintoki hugs him and Hijikata can feel the arms around him grounding him, and he hugs back. “I’m glad you’re here.”

“Wouldn’t miss this for the world.”

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_The End._

**Author's Note:**

> It's May 5th!! (Or 4th, depending where you're at). Happy birthday Hijikata! <3
> 
> Just wanted to write a little something for our birthday boy~ Hope you enjoyed!


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